Hi John
Before 1970, there were only watches water resistant to 100-200m. The most famous of these watches were the Zodiac Seawolf, the Omega Seamaster 300, the Blanpain 50 fathoms and the Rolex Submariner. The mechanical watch that went at the deepest level in the sea was a Rolex which went to -10194m of depth in 1964 wit hDr Piccard as far as I can remember.
The year 1970 saw the apparition of +500m water resitant diving watches, the two most significant of them were the Omega Plo Prof and the Rolex Submariner Seadweller 610. The Rolex Seadweller was the first watch with an automatic helium relief valves and since 1970 it is exclusively used by the Comex, a company known for making deep under water work which was using these watches as their timekeepers. The Comex was always using Omega before 1969 and Rolex watches since 1970. Not without reason, the automatic helium valve made by Rolex never failed.The plo prof was used by an important person the Commander Coustaud and despite it was rated to be wr at 600m it was water resistant 1370m, at 1371 m during the test the watch stopped to work. That watch has monobloc caseand no helium valve. The fashion of 1000m diving watches also touched Omega in 1975 who produced the seamaster 1000m (one of the rarest seamaster), the competitors of the seamaster despite they were produced by middle of the range brands were intresting none the less: certina ds3 super ph 1000m and ollech & wajs carribean 1000m both powered by an eta but good/quality price ratio.
Omega stopped the production of +500m diving rated watches after 1979. In 1978, Rolex increased the water resistant of its sea dweller to 1220m and till this moment, it became the most trusted watch of deep sea divers.
Note also even if off topic, many armies were using the sub under the rolex and tudor brand.
The main function of a diving watch is to be reliable and not to be a marketing product or a movie star.If you buy a diving watch it has to be a 100% functional diving watch. 007 is not a deep sea professionnal diver and not a comex diver. 007 is a marketing thing.
Luminova isn't the best lume for a diving watch, I would rather go for a tritium model which glows consistantly and far better during long periods.
regards and hope this helps
georges
